Two employees of the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office were suspended for leaving a body briefly unattended in their van, a county spokeswoman said.

Today was the last day of the five-day suspension without pay for forensic investigators Kelly Vay and Jennifer Sullivan. Ms. Vay was hired in March 2009 and Ms. Sullivan in May 2009. Both women are scheduled to return to work Saturday.

The incident happened July 24 after the pair was called to a death scene in South Park, Megan Dardanell, the county's deputy director of communications, said. The death appeared to be from natural causes.

An investigation into the incident revealed that after picking up the body, the women stopped at a Wal-Mart in Bethel Park, Ms. Dardanell said. Both women left the vehicle.

While the body was unattended for a short time, "any period is unacceptable," Ms. Dardanell said. "It is against office protocols and it is disrespectful."

The county executive's office has asked Dr. Karl Williams, the medical examiner, "to review policies and procedures and strengthen and clarify them if necessary," she said.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.